The treatment and disposal of stored hazardous waste is a challenge. It is often necessary to store waste in a container since, at present, there may be no effective procedure for treating it. It also may be that the waste is not sufficiently characterized to make a determination of the appropriate treatment procedure. Thus, large quantities of untreated waste remain stored in containers and are awaiting treatment.
A typical waste storage container for a liquid waste is a metal drum. Waste is poured into the container, and a lid is sealed to the container to prevent the waste from escaping. Since an analysis of the waste composition from a sealed container may be necessary before an appropriate treatment and disposal procedure is implemented, a device for extracting a sample of waste from a sealed container is required.
Similar devices would be useful for extracting samples from munitions, which may contain dangerous chemicals. Importantly, during a sampling procedure, the user must avoid exposure to the material being sampled while obtaining a sample, and while transporting the sample to a site for analysis.
Devices that allow one to sample the fluid contents of sealed containers are known. In U.S. Pat. No. 5,704,383 by D. A. Kammeraad et al. entitled "Tool and Method for Removing Fluid From Container" which issued Jan. 6, 1998, a tool for tapping and removing fluid from a container is described. A frustoconically-shaped shank having a threaded outer surface sealingly engages the container wall as the shank is advanced into the container. Opposing inlets in the bit communicate with an internal passageway within the shank to allow fluid from the container to enter the tool. The tool is provided with a sealing surface that deforms the container wall while providing a seal between the sealing surface and the wall. Advancement of the frustoconically-shaped shank into the container wall increases the borehole size. An assembly attached to the shank houses a piston, which serves as a valve for preventing fluid in the shank passageway from escaping to the outside. A fluid collection unit can be attached to the valve assembly to obtain fluid samples.
In U.S. Pat. No. 5,558,140 by J. E. Clark II entitled "Device For Draining Fluid From a Container" which issued Sep. 24, 1996, a fluid draining device for removing oil is described. The device has a threaded screw with a sharpened puncturing tip and an internal fluid channel with at least one opening just behind the tip. It also has a threaded screw guide connected to a strap, which can be wrapped around a container and tightened. An opening in the strap coaxial with the bore of the screw guide allows the screw to pass through the strap. An optional sealing material placed in between the strap and the container wall may be used to provide a seal with the wall.
The '383 and '140 patents describe tools that must first be attached to the container. In a separate procedure, a sample of fluid from the container may be obtained with the attached tool. A portable tool for rapidly sampling fluid from a sealed container in a single step while preventing exposure to the contents is clearly desirable.
Therefore, an object of the invention is to provide a portable fluid-sampling tool for collecting fluid from a sealed container in a single step without exposing the user or the environment to the fluid.
Another object of the invention is to provide a fluid sampling tool that can be drilled into a sealed container without exposing the user to wall shavings created during drilling.
Additional objects, advantages and novel features of the invention will be set forth in part in the description which follows, and in part will become apparent to those skilled in the art upon examination of the following or may be learned by practice of the invention. The objects and advantages of the invention may be realized and attained by means of the instrumentalities and combinations particularly pointed out in the appended claims.